The Return of the Cold War

This book examines the crisis in Ukraine, tracing its development and analysing the factors which lie behind it. It discusses above all how the two sides have engaged in political posturing, accusations, escalating sanctions and further escalating threats, arguing that the ease with which both sides have reverted to a Cold War mentality demonstrates that the Cold War belief systems never really disappeared, and that the hopes raised in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union for a new era in East-West relations were misplaced. The book pays special attention to the often ignored origins of the crisis within Ukraine itself, and the permanent damage caused by the fact that Ukrainians are killing Ukrainians in the eastern parts of the country. It also assesses why Cold War belief systems have re-emerged so easily, and concludes by considering the likely long-term ramifications of the crisis, arguing that the deep-rooted lack of trust makes the possibility of compromise even harder than in the original Cold War.

Table of contents

International Relations 1. Assisted Suicide: Internal and External Causes of the Ukrainian Crisis, Sergei Plekhanov 2. Caught Between Russia and NATO: The EU During and After the Ukrainian Crisis, Michael Johns 3. Belarus in the ‘New Cold War’: A Promising Mediator?, Yann Breault 4. The Crisis in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Diaspora: February-December 2014, Serge Cipko Military 5. Brothers Disunited: Russia’s Use of Military Power in Ukraine, Roger McDermott 6. Explaining the Ukrainian Army’s Defeat in Donbass in 2014 Paul Robinson Economic and Social Considerations 7. Western Economic Sanctions and Russia’s East-West Economic Orientation, V.V. Popov 8.Lost and Forgotten: The Conflict Through the Eyes of the Donbass People, Elena Maltseva Image and Perception 9. Setting the Tone. Misinformation and Disinformation from Kyiv, Moscow, Washington, and Brussels in 2014. J.L. Black 10. Shaping New Narratives: How New Histories are Created, Ivan Kurilla 11. German Attitudes towards Russia: The Post-Maidan Era in Context, Tim Nieguth 12. The Maidan Massacre in Ukraine: A Summary of Analysis, Evidence, and Findings, Ivan Katchanovski 13. Conclusion, J.L. Black

About the Editors

J L Black is Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor of Carleton University, Ottawa, and Director of the Centre for Research on Canadian-Russian Relations with the History Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Michael Johns is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Vice Dean of Arts at Laurentian University, Barrie Campus, Barrie, Ontario, Canada